Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-03-26
SATURDAY. 26, 1887.
Why X. Biedler Didn't Get the Reward

The following scrap of history in rela-
ton to Y. Beidler, was first published in
the Independent of January 10, 1875.
Through the courtesy Of Jim Ponsford,
who isengaged in compiling "reminiscences
Of the most noted man in the early history
of Montana, we are enabled to present it
to our readers.
Immediately after the robbing Of the
Overland stage by McLain and Heinze-
man, now serving in the penitentiary for
their crime, a couple of detectives were
sent from California to ferret out the rob
bers and recover the treasure. They made
one of the stations at the Beaverhead Can
yon their headquarters, and hung around
until their presence became irkesome.
After cogitating awhile, the proprietors of
the station resolved to have a little fun at
their expense, so they agreed to nail up
an old box, bind it with iron bands, throw
il into the river above the station, and
then get the keen California detectives on
the trail. Before they could execute their
designs, however, the Californians got
aboard of the coach and went down the
road. A day or two after they left, X.
Beidler came up the road. He also was
employed by Wells, Fargo & Co. to hunt
down the robbers. x. stopped at the same
station vacated by the Californians. He
invariably had a new joke, or a good sto-
~ for the boys" so he was heartily vel
coined by everybody around the station.
After amusing the men c~ongregated in the
bar-room for a couple of hours, x. called
and asked him his opinion of the robbery,
what his theory about it was, etc. After
deep reflection, the gentleman told him
the stage driver watered his horses in the
canyon, about four miles above the station,
and if he (the driver had stolen the treas
ure-box. the chances were that he threw
it into the river at that point, as there was
a deep hole couple of yards below where
the horses were watered; nobody, as yet.
had thought of examining the river, and
if \. wanted to 60 he would lend him a
horse in the morning. Of course x. would
60. He was after that treasure box and
intended to let no chance slip whereby he
might recover it. There was $4,000 in
the box when it was stolen from the coach.
and whoever recovered the box and treas
ure was entitled to one fourth-S5,000
That evening the two-station keepers car
RED the old ak box up the canyon, filled
it with boulders, nailed iron bands around
it, threw it into the deep hole in the river
broke a trail through the willows. and
piled a few rocks on top of each other, on
the bank directly above the box, and then
went home and slept the sleep of men who
teel that they have somebody else in deep
water.
In the morning \. saddled his horse and
started up the canyon. and a couple of the
station men also started up the road to fix
some broken fences. X. arrived at the
spot to which he was directed. and tied
his horse to a tree. Many a time had x.
hunted for dim trail ere this. He was
liz pliSiih Al suSil iildtteFS. lie walked
along the edge Of the willows, his keen
gray eyes watching for the faintest sign of
a trail-a broken willow-anything, to
guide the practiced ~trail-hunter. Sudden
ly he observed some bent willows. He
knelt down, raised the fallen grass, and
there, imbeded in the soft earth, were the
footprints of a man. Never did a Sioux
warrior gaze more exultantly on the trail
Of his enemy, when he thought the victim
was almost within his grasp, than did X.
as he viewed those footprints, which were
to lead him to fortune. He followed the
trail through the willows and out on the
bank of the river. There he found a
small pile of rocks. That means some
thing thought he. So he walked up to the
little monument, and carefully removed
the rocks n by one, but found nothing.
Then he gazed into the clear waters of the
B~eayerhead, and lying at the bottom Of the
river, bound with iron straps, he saw the
treasure box. Z. looked at the box-it
almost took his breath away; $4,000 re-
ward; beat all the California sharps: fame
and fortune within his grasp. 1t was al
most too much, and x. sat down and vain